Insect Pest Control Newsletter No. 65, July 2005 | IAEA

Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture and FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Bio- technology Laboratory, Seibersdorf

No. 65 July 2005

http://www.iaea.org/programmes/nafa/d4 ISSN 1011-274X

http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/Agricul.htm

Insect Pest Control Newsletter

Participants to the Second International Conference on Area-Wide Insect Pest Control from 9 to 13 May 2005 in Vienna, Austria

Contents

• To Our Readers 1

• Staff 4

• Forthcoming Events 5

• Past Events 6

• Technical Cooperation

Projects 7

• Status of Coordinated Research Projects

(CRPs) 10

• Developments at the Entomology Unit

Seibersdorf 12

• Special News and Reports 17

• Announcements 22

• In Memoriam 25

• Publications 27

To Our Readers

The concept of Area-wide Integrated Pest Management (AW-IPM) is defined as IPM applied against an entire pest population within a delimited geo- graphic area. Area-wide intervention strategies require more planning and ecological understanding, longer-term commitment, a minimum infrastruc- ture and a coordinated implementation by farmers and all other stakeholders.

The spatial distribution of the pest population has to be considered not only in surrounding cultivated areas, but also in non-cultivated areas. It also in- volves considering the temporal distribution of the pest to determine the pe- riods when the pest is most susceptible to preventive, rather than remedial, interventions.

In 1998 FAO and the Agency sponsored the First International Conference on”Area-Wide Control of Insect Pests, Integrating the Sterile Insect and Re- lated Nuclear and other Techniques” in Penang, Malaysia. This Conference greatly increased the interest and awarness concerning the AW-IPM ap- proach to insect pest control. Since then, many new technical innovations

have been introduced; a better regulatory framework is being developed to encourage the involvement of the pri- vate sector, and more FAO and Agency Member States are integrating insect pest control methods on an area- wide basis.

Over the past months we have been heavily involved in preparing for the Second FAO/IAEA International Con- ference on “Area-Wide Control of Insect Pests: Integrat- ing the Sterile Insect and Related Nuclear and Other Techniques”, which was held from 9-13 May in Vienna.

The response and interest of scientists and governments, as well as the private sector and sponsors were once more very encouraging. The conference took place with the participation of over 300 delegates from 86 countries, nine international organization, and eight exhibitors. It covered the area-wide approach again in a very broad sense, including the development and integration of many non-SIT technologies, as well as genetic research on cy- toplasmic incompatibility and other alternatives to sterili- zation.

Area-wide insect pest control programmes are logistically complex and managerially intensive. They require an ef- fective management and a broad coalition of stakeholders committed to ensure success. These critical, but largely non-technical, operational issues, often determine success or failure of area-wide programmes: whereas the integra- tion of various technologies is effective in some coun- tries, it runs into major problems when implemented against the same pest insect in others. Therefore the main focus of this second conference was to review lessons learned in implementation, addressing both the technical and managerial components of operational AW-IPM pro- grammes.

Thus, in addition to oral and poster presentations on pro- grammes and new technologies relevant to improving the implementation of operational programmes, managers, scientists and decision-makers at the conference debated a number of relevant questions during eight discussion sessions and four discussion panels. These included: Why is the area-wide approach not more widely applied in view of its obvious effectiveness, favourable economics and better sustainability? What are the major factors lim- iting its acceptance and implementation? How do we as- sure effective management in these complex pro- grammes? Why do so few university curricula tech area- wide principles? Is the area-wide application of SIT a solution to eliminate outbreaks of invasive species, which as a result of increased trade, travel, and tourism, are in- creasing their movement and establishment in new loca- tions? Does the area-wide approach have to involve gov- ernment participation? What is the potential for commer- cialisation?

A majority of area-wide programmes have so far been carried out by governmental organizations, with or with- out some financial participation from the direct benefici-

aries. Although they often address a public good, in the long run this may not be sustainable. Continued expan- sion of the area-wide approach will require the involve- ment of commercial enterprises. This could involve the delivery of a complete package or more likely be parti- tioned into different components depending on the type of programme. Obviously this is more feasible where producers are organized into associations, or govern- ments are willing to contract such operations to deal with pest of animal or public health importance.

The potential role of modern biotechnology, including transgenic crops, in AW-IPM programmes was another topic debated. It is now possible to routinely introduce genes into the germ line of many pest species and much of this development has been predicated on using sterile transgenic insects as one of the lowest risk strategies.

Will genetic engineering of insects improve the SIT or will it compete with it? Will it be acceptable to stake- holders? Up to now there has been much speculation in this area, but as yet no transgenic strains of pest insects have been produced that could be effectively used in a programme integrating the SIT. It was concluded that a critical and informed, case by case, analysis of the possi- ble advantages and disadvantages of using genetically modified or paratransgenic insects in future area-wide programmes is needed, together with the development of a framework that regulates their use.

I would like to thank all conference participants and gov- ernment delegates for their enthusiastic participation and the high quality of oral and poster presentations, as well as the IAEA Conference Services staff, the Joint FAO/IAEA Programme staff, and sponsors, for the effec- tive organization and support, contributing to a very fruit- ful and enjoyable event. We hope that a third conference on this theme can be held in ca. 5-6 years.

Another major development we would like to share re- lates to the 7^th Session of the Interim Commission for Phytosanitary Measures (ICPM) for the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), held in April 2005 at FAO headquarters in Rome. The IPPC is the international treaty under which the international standards for phyto- sanitary measures (ISPM) that protect plant health are agreed. These standards are recognized by the WTO’s Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS). The use and transboundary shipments of sterile insects was previously outside the scope of ISPM No.3 entitled Code of Conduct for the Import and Release of Exotic Biological Control Agents. Since the implementa- tion of the SIT was largely dominated by the public sec- tor, this did not represent a problem for the transboundary shipment of sterile insects. However, the lack of an inter- national standard covering sterilization did discourage private investment in the production and shipment of sterile insects.

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Over the last three years ISPM No.3 has undergone a ma- jor revision to update and broaden its scope. We have been involved in explicitly including sterile insects as beneficials in the revised standard to facilitate the appli- cation of SIT. The revised ISPM No.3 Guidelines for the Export, Shipment, Import, and Release of Biological Control Agents and Other Beneficial Organisms was drafted in 2004, reviewed by the Standards Committee and submitted for country consultation. It was then sub- mitted to the 7^th ICPM in 2005. After having dealt satis- factorily with all country comments, the revised standard was adopted by the plenary ICPM in 2005. In addition, the terms sterile insect and sterile insect technique were submitted to the Glossary Working Group for inclusion in the ISPM Glossary of Phytosanitary Terms. This revi- sion of ISPM No.3, to include sterile insects, should help facilitate their use, especially in terms of commercializa- tion of the SIT.

Finally I would like to inform you that the Director of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, James Dargie, is retiring on July 31^st, after leading the Division for ten years (1995-2005).

This has been a very intensive and productive decade for the Insect Pest Control subprogramme, with rapid techno- logical development, and many successes and some fail- ures against a background of much internal and external change. All staff of the Insect Pest Control sub- programme, both in Vienna and Seibersdorf, would like

to thank Jim for his guidance and support to the sub- programme during these critical years. We wish him many healthy years and an active and happy retirement.

We would also like to inform you that the Directors General of FAO and IAEA have appointed Mr. Liang Qu as the new Director of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division. Mr.

Qu will take up his duties on 1 August 2005. He is only the fourth Director of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division in its forty-one year history (1964-2005). Mr. Liang Qu is from the People's Republic of China (originally from Fujian Province) and holds a M.Sc. in Agronomy from the Chi- nese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. His former posi- tions include Deputy Director General of the Institute for Application of Atomic Energy, Beijing; Director General of the Department of International Cooperation and In- dustrial Development of the Chinese Academy of Agri- cultural Sciences; Permanent Representative of China to FAO and, his most recent position, Director General, Dept. of International Cooperation in the Chinese Acad- emy of Agricultural Sciences. We all welcome Mr. Liang Qu to the Division and wish him much success in his new position.

Jorge Hendrichs, Head Insect Pest Control Section

Staff

The sub-programme staff, consisting of those in the Joint FAO/IAEA Division located in the Vienna International Centre, those in the FAO/IAEA Agricultural and Biotech- nology Laboratory in Seibersdorf and field expert are listed below

Insect Pest Control Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division P.O.Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria Tel.: (+) 43 1 2600 21628; Fax: (+) 43 1 26007 21632

Entomology Unit, FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory A-2444 Seibersdorf, Austria

Tel.: (+) 43 1 2600 28402; Fax: (+) 43 1 26007 28274

Extension Location

Jorge Hendrichs Entomologist (Section Head) J.Hendrichs@iaea.org 21628 Vienna Udo Feldmann Entomologist (Tsetse/Screwworms) U.Feldmann@iaea.org 21629 Vienna Walther Enkerlin Entomologist (Fruit Flies) W.Enkerlin@iaea.org 26077 Vienna Marc Vreysen Entomologist

(Moths/Tsetse/Screwworms)

M.Vreysen@iaea.org 26062 Vienna

Arnold Dyck Entomologist (Tsetse) Consultant A.Dyck@iaea.org 26164 Vienna Marta De Coronado Senior Secretary M.de-Coronado@iaea.org 21632 Vienna Magali Evrard Secretary M.Evrard@iaea.org 21633 Vienna Alan Robinson Geneticist (Unit Head) A. Robinson@iaea.org 28402 Seibersdorf Gerald Franz Molecular Geneticist (Fruit Flies) G.Franz@iaea.org 28419 Seibersdorf Andrew Parker Entomologist (Tsetse Rearing Technol-

ogy)

A.Parker@iaea.org 28408 Seibersdorf

Carlos Caceres Entomologist (Fruit Fly Rearing Technology)

C.Caceres@iaea.org 28413 Seibersdorf

Herve Bossin Molecular Biologist (Mosquitoes) H.Bossin@iaea.org 28407 Seibersdorf Bart Knols Medical Entomologist (Mosquito Rear-

ing)

B.Knols@iaea.org 28426 Seibersdorf

Mark Benedict Medical Entomologist (Mosquitoes) M.Benedict@iaea.org 28410 Seibersdorf Adly Abd Alla, Virologist (Tsetse) Consultant A.Abdalla@iaea.org 28428 Seibersdorf Michelle Helinski Mosquitoes Consultant M.Helinski@iaea.org 28429 Seibersdorf Genevieve Labbe Mosquitoes Consultant G.Labbe@iaea.org 28425 Seibersdorf Jesus Reyes Entomologist. Establishing Pilot Fruit

Fly-Free and Low Prevalence Areas in Central America and Panama,

RLA/5/045.

jreyes@medflygt.com Tel.: (+) 502 23672087

Guatemala

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Forthcoming Events

I. Research Coordination Meetings (RCMs)

RCM on Improvement of Codling Moth SIT to Facilitate Expansion of Field Application. 14-18 November 2005, Mendoza, Argentina. Second RCM.

RCM on Improving Sterile Male Performance in Fruit Fly SIT Programmes. 4-8 September 2006, Bahia, Bra- zil. Second RCM.

RCM on Development of mass rearing for New World (Anastrepha) and Asian (Bactrocera) fruit fly pest in sup- port of SIT. 4-8 September 2006, Bahia, Brazil. Second RCM.

II. Consultants and Other Planning Meet- ings

Consultants Meeting To Prepare Harmonized Guidelines for Transport, Packing and Release of Sterile Fruit Flies, 22-26 August, Vienna, Austria.

Consultants Meeting on Handling and Release of Fruit Flies, September 2005, Vienna, Austria.

Consultants Meeting to Refine Manual on Entomological Baseline Data Collection for TseTse Control Programmes with Special Attention to GIS, Population Genetics and Database Management, from 10 to 14 October 2005 in Vienna, Austria

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III. Other Meetings/Events

Roundtable on Codling Moth in Conjunction with the Sixth Argentinean Congress of Entomology from 12 to 14 September 2005, Tucuman, Argentina.

Seventh International Symposium on Fruit Flies of Eco- nomic Importance and Sixth Meeting of the Working Group on Fruit Flies of the Western Hemisphere, 10-15 September 2006, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

FAO/IAEA Interregional Training Course on “The Use of the Sterile Insect and Related Techniques for the Integrated Area-wide Management of Insect Pests”, University of Florida/USDA, Gainesville, Florida, USA, 10 May – 7 June 2006

Nominations should be submitted on the standard IAEA application form for training courses available on the web site:

(http://www-tc.iaea.org/tcweb/participation/astrainee/default.asp). Completed forms should be endorsed by and returned through the official channels (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, National Atomic Energy Authority, Office of the United Nations Development Programme or Office of the FAO). Nomination forms must be received by the IAEA, P.O. Box 100, A-1400, Vienna, Austria not later than 29 December 2005. A course prospectus is available upon request.

Past Events

I. Research Coordination Meetings (RCMs)

1. Development of Mass Rearing for New World (Anastrepha) and Asian (Bactrocera) Fruit Flies.

28 March–1st April 2005, Manila, Philippines.

First RCM.

2. Developing of Product and Process Quality Con- trol for Standadization of Tsetse Mass Produc- tion, Sterilization and SIT Production. 4-8 May 2005, Vienna, Austria. Second RCM.

3. Development of Improved Attractants and Their Integration into Fruit Fly SIT Management Pro- grammes. 5-8 May 2005, Vienna, Austria. Fourth and Final RCM.

4. Evaluating the Use of Nuclear Techniques for the Colonization and Production of Natural Enemies of Agricultural Insect Pests. 13-16 May 2005, Vienna, Austria. Fourth and Final RCM.

5.

Second RCM

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6. Enabling Technologies for the Expansion of SIT for Old and New Screwworm. 30 May-3 June 2005, Montevideo, Uruguay. Third RCM.

II. Consultants and Other Planning Meet- ings

Ninth Meeting of the Programme Against African Try- panosomiasis (PAAT), 5-6 May 2005, Vienna, Austria.

III. Other Meetings/Events

Second International Conference on Area-Wide Insect Pest Control, 9-13 May 2005, Vienna, Austria.

First Meeting of the regional fruit fly scientific group TEAM (Tephritidae of Europe, Africa and the Middle East) 11 May 2005, Vienna, Austria.

Note: Reports available upon request.

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Technical Cooperation Projects

Ongoing Technical Cooperation Projects are:

ALG/5/019 Control of Date Moth Using the Sterile Insect Technique.

BOT/5/002 Support of Tsetse Eradication from Ngami- land.

EGY/5/025 Area-Wide Fruit Fly Control in Eastern Egypt.

ETH/5/012 Integrating SIT for Tsetse Eradication.

INT/5/145 Promotion of Insect Pest Control Using the Sterile Insect Technique.

IRQ/5/016 Field Monitoring and Rearing of Old World Screwworm.

KEN/5/022 Integrated Area-Wide Tsetse and Trypano- somosis Management in Lambwe Valley.

MAG/5/011 Feasibility Study of SIT-Based Integrated Pest Management of Fruit Flies.

MAR/5/015 Feasibility Study For Integrated Use of the Sterile Insect Technique for Area-Wide Tephritid Fruit Fly Control.

MEX/5/027 Transfer of Genetic Sexing Mass Rearing Technologies for Fruit Fly Production.

RAF/5/051 SIT for Tsetse and Trypanosomosis Man- agement in Africa.

RAF/5/052 SIT Development for Control of Anopheles Mosquito.

RLA/5/045 Preparation for Pilot Fruit Fly-Free Areas using the Sterile Insect Technique in Central America.

SAF/5/007 Expanding the Use of the Sterile Insect Tech- nique against Fruit Pests in the Western and Northern Cape.

THA/5/046 Area-Wide Integrated Control of Fruit Flies.

UGA/5/024 Integrated Area-Wide Tsetse Eradication Programme in the Lake Victoria Basin.

New Technical Cooperation Projects for 2005-2006 cycle are:

BGD/5/025 Studying the Feasibility of the Sterile Insect technique in Sun-dried Fish Industry Project.

BRA/5/057 Establishment of Medfly, Fruit Fly Parasi- toids and Codling Moth Rearing Facility.

BKF/5/004 Feasibility Study on Applying the Sterile In- sect Technique to Create a Tsetse-Free Zone.

CHI/5/047 Decresing the Population of the Mediterra- nean Fruit Fly in the Arica Region.

INT/5/149 Interregional Training Course on the Use of the Sterile Insect Technique and Related Techniques.

ISR/5/011 Strenghening the Capacity for the Area-Wide Control of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly Using the Sterile Insect Technique.

JOR/5/010 Strenghening the Capacity for the Area-wide suppression of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly Using the Sterile Insect Technique.

MALI/5/020 Feasibility Study for the Creation of a Zone Free of Tsetse.

MEX/5/029 National Prevention Campaign against the Cactus Moth.

MOR/5/028 Assessing the Fesibility of Medfly Suppres- sion Through the Sterile Insect Technique.

PAL/5/003 Strenghening the National Capacity for the Area-wide Suppression of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly.

PAK/5/043 Development of Biological Control for Cot- ton Pest Management Using Nuclear Techniques.

SAF/5/009 Preparation for the Creation of Zone Free of G. brevipalpis and G. austeri.

SEN/5/029 Feasibility Study to Create a Tsetse-Free Zone Free Using the Sterile Insect Technique

TUN/5/022 Implementation of the Pilot Programme Us- ing Sterile Insect Technique against the Mediterranean fruit fly, Phase II.

URT/5/022 Assistance to a Feasibility Study for the Use of the Sterile Insect Technique.

In keeping with our policy to highlight activities of a few of our Technical Cooperation Projects, the following pro- jects are discussed in this issue:

Establishment of Medfly Mass Rearing and Sterilization Facility In The Rio San Francisco Valley (BRA5057)

The establishment of a medfly mass rearing facility in Brazil, is an idea that was born within the Empresa Bra- sileira de Pesquas Agropecuaria (Embrapa) and consoli- dated inside the Ministry of Agriculture. It has been for- mally constituted as a social organization in 2002 for the implementation of mass rearing of insect pests of the hor- ticulture industry.

Sketch of Medfly Mass Rearing Facility in Brazil

In 2003, the first contacts were established with federal, two state organizations, the private sector and interna- tional organizations including the IAEA and the FAO. As a result, cooperative agreements and technical coopera- tion contracts were established.

The Government of Bahia, through its Secretary of Agri- culture, Irrigation and Agriculture Reform donated 60,000 m² of land with 5,500 m² of buildings available for the mass rearing facility. In late 2004, refurbishment of two existing modular buildings started with financial resources from the Ministry of Science and Technology that were allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture and to the Plant and Animal Health Agency of the State of Ba- hia (ADAB).

Given that this is a pioneer project in Brazil and to allow for an adequate design of the facility and a more rational use of the financial resources, engineers and arquitects, and technical staff from EMBRAPA, the University of Sao Paulo (USP) and ADAB visited large-scale facilities abroad, including the El Pino facility in Guatemala. It is expected that by the end of 2005 the production modules, fully equipped with a centralized air-conditioning, will be ready.

The tsl –thermal sensitive lethal- only male strain was transferred from the Entomology Unit of the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology laboratory at Seibersdorf, Austria, to the Embrapa quarantine laboratories and then to the Centre of Nuclear Energy for Agriculture (CENA- USP), where the colony has been successfully estab- lished.

Strengthening the Capacity for the Area- Wide Control of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly Using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) in Israel (ISR5011), Jordan (JOR5010) and The Palestinian Territo- ries (PAL5003).

A cooperative programme between Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority for medfly control using area-wide SIT was established in 1997 under IAEA Technical Co- operation Projects. Achievements resulted in a 50-fold increase in bell pepper export revenue. Now growers target a much larger potential export market. The suc- cessful regional cooperation within this programme has also served as a peace-promoting platform for the region.

The Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) (or Med- fly) is a key pest of fruits and vegeta- bles throughout the Mediterranean Ba- sin including Israel, Jordan and the Ter- ritories Under the Jurisdiction of the Palestinian Author-

ity (TUJPA). During the past 40 years, farmers have at- tempted to control this pest by using conventional insec- ticide cover sprays in Jordan and insecticide bait sprays in Israel and the TUJPA. However, despite an average of 10 annual insecticide applications, fruit loss was signifi- cant, secondary pest outbreaks frequent and export mar- kets accessible only through the use of costly postharvest treatments. An economic feasibility study conducted in 1997 showed that in Israel, Jordan and the TUJPA the total annual losses from Medfly amounted to nearly US

$300 million, including loss of markets that discriminate against Medfly and pesticide residues

.

Given the seriousness of the problem, Israel and Jordan in 1997, and the TUJPA in 1999 requested support from the IAEA to integrate the sterile insect technique (SIT) as part of an area-wide approach in this region. The neces- sary technology was transferred through Technical Coop- eration Projects (TCPs) subscribed by the Ministries of Agriculture. Through these TCPs, the SIT technology for Medfly population suppression was transferred to Israel and Jordan and capacity generated in the TUJPA for

Exports of bell peppers from the Arava Valley to high value markets.

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adoption of this technology. These projects have equally served as a peace-promoting platform, bringing together these countries and territories in a joint collaboration and partnership to solve a shared problem.

Since 1998, sterile male Medflies have been imported form the El Pino mass rearing and sterilization facility in Guatemala to an emergence and release facility in Israel.

Sterile flies have been released on a continuous basis in pilot areas located in the Arava Valley on both sides of the Israeli and Jordanian borders. By integrating SIT with other suppression methods, reduction in fruit infestation and insecticide use has been significant. Moreover, on the Israeli side of the Arava, the export of Medfly-free pro- duce, mainly bell peppers, has increased from less than US $1 million in 1998, to US $50 million in 2004, as a result of effective Medfly population suppression inte- grating the SIT on an area-wide basis.

The positive impact that application of this technology has had in the region has recently encouraged the Israeli company BIO-FLY, a subsidiary of the biocontrol com- pany BIO-BEE, to build a pilot Medfly mass rearing fa- cility at Sde Eliahu in the Beit She’an Valley to supply local farmers in the Arava Valley pilot areas with 15 mil- lion sterile male Medflies per week. This is the first pri- vately run facility of its kind in the Mediterranean region.

Demand for sterile male Medflies will continue to in- crease as the programme expands to commercial horticul- tural production areas in the Northern Negev and Upper Galilee in Israel, the upper Jordan Valley in Jordan and the Palestinian Authority areas. To cover this increased demand BIO-FLY is currently planning to enlarge its present Medfly rearing capacity. This programme con- tributes significantly to the improvement of the agricul- tural sector in the Middle East and also forms a sound basis for increased cooperation within the region.

RCM participants, Vienna, Austria, May 2005

Status of Coordinated Research Projects (CRPs) and RCMs

New Coordinated Research Project

A new CRP was initiated this year entitled Development of Mass Rearing Procedures for Anastrepha (New World) or Bactrocera (Asia/Pacific region) fruit fly pests. The first RCM was attended by 20 scientists from 17 coun- tries and held in Manila Philippines, from 28 March to 1^st April 2005. Fruit flies are of major economic importance in nearly all tropical, subtropical and some temperate countries worldwide. In this group of fruit flies of eco- nomic importance, several polyphagous species infest a broad range of fruit and/or vegetable crops and damage their production (e.g. Medfly, Queensland fruit fly, Bac- trocera zonata, Anastrepha spp). Other, monophagous species (e.g. olive fly) are key pests of individual crops of international importance. The SIT as an area-wide envi- ronmentally clean technique to control insect pests, has become an important part of many of the integrated fruit fly management programmes. The high degree of sophis- tication in SIT technology in some programmes and pro- gress in its application has encouraged interest in devel- oping the SIT for additional fruit fly species of major in- ternational/regional importance. Considerable research on artificial rearing on some of these species was conducted in earlier years, but there is need now to solve specific problems of mass production for some of the species, or initiate research for those species that currently became economically important. Such candidate species for fu- ture concerted action include key Bactrocera and An- astrepha species, which are of economic importance to many FAO and IAEA Member States.

The overall objective of this project is to develop and improve rearing technology for selected Anastrepha and Bactrocera fruit flies of economic importance for SIT application. Thus, the focus will be from basic biology studies and colonization process through the establish- ment/improvement of mass rearing protocols. The pro- posed CRP will focus on twenty two tephritid fruit fly species (including some African Ceratitis species). For some of the species there is, currently, a total lack or little knowledge about colonization and mass rearing, while for other species with ongoing SIT programmes, there is a requirement and demand to improve mass rearing pro- tocols and control processes.

Development of Improved Attractants and Their Integration into Fruit Fly SIT Man- agement Programmes

The fourth and final Research Coordination Meeting (RCM) was carried out in Vienna, Austria, from 5 to 8 May 2005. Twenty-one participants from Argentina, Bra- zil, Colombia, Costa Rica, France (Corsica and Reunion), Honduras, Greece, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mauritius, Mex- ico, Pakistan, Portugal (Madeira), Spain, United King- dom and United States of America presented results from the last year experiments and a summary of the five year research. The meeting had a number of observers includ- ing representatives from private companies that supplied trapping materials to conduct the experiments throughout the five years of research. Networking of scientists from 17 countries with commercial companies proved to be a very fruitful association and a very effective way of bridging the gap between science and the use of the tech- nology in the field.

Different trap, lures and bait stations were tested in a wide range of environmental conditions to measure the response of a number of fruit fly species of economic importance including, in Latin America: Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Ceratitis capitata), Mexican Fruit Fly (An- astrepha ludens), West Indian Fruit Fly (A. obliqua), South American Fruit Fly (A. fraterculus), Guava Fruit Fly (A. striata) and Sapote Fruit Fly (A. serpentina). In Africa and the Mascarene: Oriental Fruit Fly (Bactrocera dorsalis), Melon Fruit Fly (B. cucurbitae), Peach Fruit Fly (B. zonata), and Ethiopian Fruit Fly (Dacus ciliatus).

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In the Mediterranean: Mediterranean Fruit Fly (C. capi- tata) and Olive Fruit Fly (B. oleae).

As a result of the five-year Research Coordinated Project important progress was made in improving some of the trapping systems currently being used against these fruit fly species. In general, response of some of the most im- portant Anastrepha species to atwo-component synthetic food lure was equal or better compared with the conven- tional but less practical protein baits. Likewise, the Bac- trocera species responded much better to combinations and different concentrations of the synthetic food lures than to the conventional protein baits. It was observed that the level of female response of some species of Ceratitis, in particuluar, C. rosa and C. cosyra, to the female biased three component lure (Biolure), is the same as C. capitata. On the other hand, species which are more host specific such as the Guava Fruit Fly, (A. striata) and the Olive Fruit Fly (B. oleae) had poor response to the synthetic food lures as compared with the conventional protein baits. For these species research needs to be fo- cused at basic biology and ecology studies and at evaluat- ing volatiles or crude extracts of primary host plants.

Substantial amount of research was done in trying to de- velop a cost-effective bait station as a population sup- pression method for fruit fly control in backyard hosts and in difficult to access sites. Preliminary results indi- cate the significant potential use of bait station techniques for suppressing C. capitata populations and some species of Anastrepha, such as internally baited yellow spheres with Ammonium Acetate and Trimethylamine and coated with sugar and methomyl. Nevertheless, at this time it is not possible to recommend a specific bait station for use in action programmes. More work on the implementation

of the bait stations technology to control fruit flies should be conducted. Standard research protocols for bait station evaluation need to be further developed, including fruit sampling procedures to measure infestation levels.

Detailed results, conclusions and recommendations from this CRP will be soon published in an IAEA Technical Document.

New CRP Development of Standardized Mass Rearing Systems for Male Mosqui- toes 2005-2010

Successful application of the Sterile Insect Technique against many pest species has lead to resurgence in inter- est to develop this area-wide control/elimination strategy against mosquito vectors. Autocidal control of mosqui- toes to curb disease transmission is not new, and has been applied with varying degrees of success. SIT was suc- cessfully implemented in a pilot project against the ma- laria mosquito Anopheles albimanus in El Salvador in the 1970s. Since then, scientific advances in the fields of mo- lecular biology, mosquito ecology and behaviour, as well as GIS technology, have improved prospects for mos- quito SIT development. This CRP will focus on key gaps in knowledge on mosquito mass rearing and adult main- tenance, and includes aspects of aquaculture, aquatic mi- crobiology, colonization and mosquito genetics. The ul- timate goal of the CRP is to develop and standardize cost-efficient mass production procedures for male mos- quitoes with fitness and competitiveness levels that match their wild counterparts. The first research coordination meeting is planned for late 2005 and research proposals are still being accepted.

Developments at the Entomology Unit Seibersdorf

TSETSE Pupal sexing

As indicated in our last newsletter, we have now taken delivery of a near infrared spectrometer for sexing tsetse pupae. In order to standardize pupal development for this sexing system G. pallidipes pupae were collected daily and placed in an incubator. During a consultancy by Dr Floyd Dowell, USDA-ARS, Grain Marketing and Pro- duction Research Center, Manhattan, Kansas the machine was tested using pupae of a known number of days be- fore emergence. Excellent results were obtained with pu- pae 4 to 5 days before emergence with a sexing accuracy of about 96%. Tests were also carried out on G. fuscipes and G. brevipalpis but the data for these species has not yet been analysed. The system will now be further evalu- ated and used in the routine maintenance of the labora- tory colonies so that sexing of adult flies using chilling will no longer be necessary. The system will also be used in operational programmes to provide male pupae for irradiation and release

.

Salivary gland hyperplasia

As reported in earlier Newsletters, some tsetse species carry a virus that, in a certain proportion of individuals, leads to hyperplasia of the salivary gland and these indi- viduals also show reproductive abnormalities. The prob- lem seems to be most serious in G. pallidipes. Salivary gland hypertrophied virus was first reported by Jenni in 1973. This virus is present in natural population of tsetse at a low level (0.5-5%), but in the Seibersdorf colonies the virus is widespread and can result in significant de- crease in colony reproduction. PCR analysis has con- firmed that virus infections were 100% in G. pallidipes colony originated from Uganda. Due to the negative im- pact of the virus on colony productivity under certain stressful conditions it is important to understand more about the virus with the goal to develop a management strategy for the virus. The most effective way to begin this study is to obtain the nucleotide sequence of this vi- rus as recommended during a consultancy by Max Ber- goin (Montpellier). In July, Drion Boucias (USDA, Gainesville) will visit the Unit to develop collaborative work on this topic as he is working on a very similar vi- rus in the house fly.

To obtain the nucleotide sequence of this virus, it was necessary to obtain sufficient quantity of the purified vi- rus to extract the viral nucleic acid for a genomic library for sequencing. Two methods to produce virus in tsetse flies were investigated, the first by injecting the virus into 3^rd instar larvae as previously described in the literature.

The second is through infection during blood feeding.

The small quantity of viral DNA prepared from hypertro- phied salivary gland by Francois Cousserans in 2003 was used to construct a viral genome library. Two strategies to obtain the library were used; the first uses small insert fragments as this leads to easy cloning and sequencing.

The second is the construction of a library from large in- sert fragments in order to facilitate sequence assembly.

Using the first approach we obtained more than 800 re- combinant colonies and 395 colonies were analysed to estimate the insert length and 12 are currently being se- quenced. The second genomic library from large insert fragment will be initiated after having at least 50% of DNA sequence from the small fragment library. Another important aspect to study the impact of anti-viral drugs on SGHV infection is the availability of a cell culture susceptible for this virus. Primary attempts to establish a cell culture from hypertrophied salivary gland of tsetse was initiated. While, neither bacterial nor fungal con- tamination was observed, the cells did not multiply in the tested media. Attempts to use another cell culture media and also try to establish cell culture from another tissues such as ovaries have been initiated.

Colony status

Continuing reduction in the staff and resources available to the tsetse section has forced us to reconsider the num- ber of species and size of colonies held. Up to now we have supplied tsetse pupae free of charge to both Member States’ Technical Cooperation projects and to research institutes, but following the review of the Agency’s tsetse SIT activities it has been agreed that future supply of pu- pae to TC projects will be charged back to the project.

A second development also influences the maintenance of colonies. As reported in the last Newsletter (64), under an Interregional Project a tsetse rearing facility has been established in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, to supplement and support the colonies in Seibersdorf. Early in 2005 the total colony size in Bratislava of three species, Glossina pallidipes, G. fuscipes fuscipes and G. morsitans cen- tralis exceeded 100,000 females and is now stabilized at about 130,000. The G. pallidipes and G. f. fuscipes colo- nies will be progressively expanded and balanced by a reduction in the G. m. centralis colony until the final holding is approximately 50,000 each of G. pallidipes and G. f. fuscipes and about 20,000 G. m. centralis by the middle of 2005. The G. m. centralis colony in Seibers- dorf has already been reduced as projected demand for this species is limited, and the G. f. fuscipes colony will also be minimized by the middle of the year. As the high- est anticipated demand is for G. pallidipes we will ex-

13

pand our colony to fill the TPU3 (see below) in addition to the colony held in Bratislava to give an aggregate col- ony of 100,000 females.

For the research community the principal species of in- terest is G. m. morsitans. Demand for this species is higher than Seibersdorf can easily supply so we will transfer the G. m. morsitans colony to Bratislava later in the year, and take back from them the G. m. centralis colony. G. m. morsitans will then be held at a level of some tens of thousands in Bratislava, while Seibersdorf will maintain only a minimum colony of G. m. centralis.

Collaborators needing G. m. morsitans are requested to contact Peter Takac in Bratislava, e-mail:

uzaetaka@savba.sk

TPU3 installation

The installation of the TPU3 (Tsetse Production Unit) in Seibersdorf was completed in February this year. A num- ber of minor problems have been identified and corrected in the construction, and we are now testing the equipment with a number of fly units. Currently 117 cages are on the system since 28 March.

The principle problems identified relate to mounting cages in cage frames (trays). The cages currently used in Seibersdorf are constructed from 200mm diameter grey PVC pipe with netting glued on. During washing these cages distort due to the heat. The tray system for the TPU3 holds nine cages together in an aluminium frame by compressing the cages in the frame with a screw sys- tem and when the cages are distorted they are no longer stable. Two solutions are being investigated. The first is to use identical sized cages made from a different mate- rial, a red, foam-core PVC pipe. Cages made from this material are both lighter and more stable, so that they can be held in the tray with much less pressure. The second possibility is a large, 300 x 300mm square cage, consist- ing of a collapsible frame covered with netting. The cage frame can be held in the aluminium moulding of the tray, potentially making them very secure. A number of minor issues of alignment and fitting have been identified, and we will continue to work with the designer and supplier to resolve these and future issues.

Alternative processing of blood

The work on alternative blood processing is continuing with work on pasteurization and UV treatment. For the pasteurization work, initial tests with a semi-commercial milk pasteurization apparatus gave disappointing results with coagulation at too low a temperature (72 °C). Work is now progressing with a laboratory simulation, at tem- peratures up to 80 ºC. It has been found that one of the most important parameters is the time taken for the blood to cool down from the pasteurization temperature to be- low 20 ºC. If this cooling is rapid, pasteurization tem- peratures near 80ºC may be used for several seconds

without coagulation. To achieve this in a conventional pasteurising machine will require a change to the system, to replace the heat regenerator with a specific cooling system.

In the second line of investigation, a commercial UV (254 nm) blood product virus inactivation system is being investigated. This system is used to reduce the risk of virus transmission, specifically hepatitis viruses and HIV, by blood products such a serum and plasma. For these products the system is very efficient, achieving high log reductions with no damage to the product, but the system had never been used for whole blood. The absorption of UV by whole blood is very high (A 1cm 254nm = 44), such that the UV penetrates only some tens of microme- ters into the blood. So far two stages of testing have been completed. Following a successful proof of principle us- ing an artificial feedstock of similar viscosity and absorb- ance to blood, the second stage tested defibrinated horse blood spiked with a representative bacterium (E. coli 9481) and virus (PhiX 174). For the test a one litre sam- ple of spiked blood was recirculated through the UV ap- paratus at 25ml/s and samples taken to measure the log reduction at various times. The reduction curves for both bacteria and virus were similar, with about a 5-log reduc- tion in 15 minutes of recirculation. In these initial tests it was demonstrated that there was a measurable increase in met-haemoglobin after 45 minutes treatment, but it is not known if this is significant in terms of tsetse nutrition.

The equipment manufacturer has done all the work to this stage under contract. This has demonstrated the principle, but a number of issues remain. One of the UV treatment machines will be installed in Seibersdorf to allow us to test the effect of UV irradiation on the nutritional quality of the blood, and to test the effect of the irradiation on the bacteria normally encountered during blood collection.

FRUIT FLIES

Hormonal supplements for Anastrepha fraterculus and Bactrocera dorsalis.

Previous studies conducted with Anastrepha ludens, A.

suspensa and C. capitata have shown that either topical application or feeding with juvenile hormone during the early adult stage can speed up sexual maturity and in- crease sexual activity of sterile males of these species.

For operational programmes with an SIT component, the utilization of this novel therapy could lead to savings of space and energy in the holding and emergency facilities, since more sterile males reach sexual maturity before dy- ing due to predation or other causes. In addition, it is ex- pected that SIT efficiency can be increased since the treated males are more sexually competitive than the un- treated males

.

Peter Teal (USDA, Gainesville) is conducting some basic studies in the Unit to assess this technology for South American fruit fly Anastrepha fraterculus and Oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis. In both cases the objective is to shorten the sexual maturity time especially for Ori- ental fruit fly were around three weeks are necessary for the males to reach sexual maturity. The activities are:

determine the age at which wild and sterile males become sexually mature, assess effects of application of metho- prene on acceleration of reproductive development, de- termine the formulation and optimal dose required, estab- lish the application period and method and compare mat- ing success of sterile treated and untreated males.

A new Bactrocera oleae colony

A new colony laboratory strain of olive fruit fly was re- ceived from Mark Roberts USDA-ARS laboratory in California. This strain was colonized from wild material collected from infested olives in California. This strain will be used to carry out strain compatibility studies be- tween olive flies from different origins and these are planned in the autumn. The original strain from Greece is now being maintained at levels of about 50,000 and col- laboration with colleagues working on biological control of this species is ongoing.

Transfer of VIENNA 8 medfly GSS to Israel.

Biofly is a company that is working with the Inspection and Plant Protection Service (IPPS) of Israel to supply sterile medfly males to the current SIT programme in the Arava Valley. Biofly recently constructed a small medfly mass-rearing facility with capacity to produce 20 million male medfly pupae per week and they will begin to de- liver sterile insects to the SIT project in Arava Valley in August. In order to establish the VIENNA 8 medfly GSS colony in the new facility, the IPPS requested, though the IAEA Technical Cooperation project ISR5011, the trans- fer of a fertile colony from Seibesdorf. To accomplish this transfer eight shipments of one million fertile pupae per week will be sent. Local production of sterile insects in Israel is important to increase the efficiency of the SIT projects since currently the source of sterile flies is “El Pino” facility located in Guatemala. Long shipment time significantly reduces the quality of the sterile flies that finally arrive in Israel.

Transgenic medflies

The generation of transgenic insects has two goals in relation to SIT: a) to incorporate a marker gene that would allow to discriminate between released and wild flies, and b) to incorporate genes that allow either the separation of the sexes, the elimination of the females or the conversion of the females into males. In the past the very first step, the genetic transformation of non- drosopholid insects, was the practical bottleneck. This

sects, was the practical bottleneck. This has been solved to a point where many different species have been trans- formed successfully. However, in many cases the effi- ciency of transformation or, more precisely, the number of transformants obtained was relatively low. This means that the procedure is still rather labour intensive and due to the small number of transgenic strains available no general conclusion can be obtained with respect to the expression of the transgenes, their impact on the fitness (from viability to behaviour) and their stability, espe- cially in large scale rearing. All these issues are, how- ever, very important for the practical application of such strains within the SIT.

For the direct practical application as marker for released medflies in a sexing strain the transgene should be inte- grated on chromosome 5 that carries the mutations white pupae and temperature sensitive lethal. In the VIENNA 8 sexing strain chromosome 5 also carries an inversion (D53, wp tsl). With respect to the stability it would be ideal if the marker gene would be located within the in- verted region (the sexing strain males are heterozygous for the inversion chromosome). In collaboration with Al Handler (USDA, Gainesville) nearly 25000 embryos have been injected with various constructs and over 300 transformants were detected. All transgenic strains de- rived from injecting the inversion line D53 with a DsRed construct were crossed with the wild type strain EgII fol- lowed by inbreeding to determine whether the marker (i.e. the fluorescence) co-segregates with wp. In five strains the marker appears to be inserted on chromosome 5. In collaboration with Antigone Zacharopoulou (Uni- versity of Patras) these strains have been analysed by in situ hybridization. As corroborated by Southern analyses, the strains fall into two classes, i.e. two different integra- tion sites were detected. Four strains have an insertion at 66B/C and one strain carries an insertion at 77A. This means unfortunately that all insertions are outside of the inversion. For all lines temperature tests were performed to show that the tsl mutation was not lost during the vari- ous crossing steps. The results showed that these strains are temperature sensitive as expected.

Two of these DsRed marked chromosomes were used to generate a sexing strain by backcrossing females of these transgenic lines twice with males from the translocation strain T(Y;5)101. The level of rearing was raised to the standard evaluation level (34ml of pupae per generation) to obtain data comparable to the other sexing strains.

However, it became immediately apparent that neither of the two transgenic lines is optimal for practical applica- tion. The expression of the transgene is too weak or too variable. When larger numbers of flies were screened it became apparent that even among the homozygous fe- males with two copies of the DsRed marker, a certain percentage of flies show only very weak fluorescence.

This effect becomes more pronounced when the het- erozygous males with only one copy of the DsRed are analysed. Here a considerable percentage shows either

15

very weak fluorescence or no fluorescence at all. With respect to the temperature-based elimination of the fe- males these lines behave normally as was shown by stan- dard temperature tests. Originally it was planned to intro- duce these lines into mass rearing. However, with these results this does not seem appropriate. Fortunately, among the lines from a more recent injection experiment with the D53 strain one line with a very strong fluores- cence, even in a heterozygous condition, was detected where genetic tests show that the insertion is located on the chromosome 5. After verifying the location via in situ hybridization this chromosome will be evaluated as a component of a sexing strain.

Bactrocera spp genetic sexing strains

In Hawaii, Don McInnis and his group have succeeded in isolating potential genetic sexing strains based on white pupal mutations for Bactrocera dorsalis and B. cucurbi- tae. In a collaborative project these strains have now been transferred to Seibersdorf for further studies on stability and competitiveness. In Thailand, an SIT programme is being implemented in areas where B. dorsalis and B. cor- recta are present and both species are being reared and released. There is obviously great interest in improving efficiency by introducing a genetic sexing strain. In order to assess this possibility, pupae from a field population of B. dorsalis were sent to Seibersdorf from Thailand and field cage compatibility studies have been carried out by D. McInnis. B. correcta were also found in the pupal shipment and the possibility of hybrid mating between the two species will also be assessed. It has also been confirmed that feeding on methyl-eugenol (ME) can sig- nificantly improve the mating success of B. dorsalis males. Preliminary results have show that the genetic sex- ing strain is compatible with populations from Thailand and that feeding with ME one or two days before the tests doubled the mating performance of the treated males in comparison to the non-treated males.

Codling moth mating compatibility

The codling moth, Cydia pomonella, is a major pest of many agricultural commodities in many parts of the tem- perate world and it has shown the predictable capacity to develop resistance to insecticides. In support of a CRP to

“Improve Components of Codling Moth SIT to Facilitate the Expansion of Field Application” (D4.10.18), field cage mating compatibility studies between different geo- graphical populations are being carried out in Seibers- dorf. This type of activity is facilitated in this species as wild populations of codling moth can be collected in dia- pause for shipment to Seibersdorf and the diapause can be broken as required to carry out the field cage mating compatibility tests. The rationale for this work is to as- sess the feasibility of using sterile codling moths from a few facilities for programmes with an SIT component in different parts of the world. Also included in the study will be laboratory colonies from Canada and New Zea-

land. Shipments of diapausing larvae of wild and labora- tory populations have already been received in Seibers- dorf and preliminary work by Mario Sevilla from Argen- tina has revealed interesting differences in some larval behavioural components. During June the field cage evaluations are being carried out by Gustavo Taret from Argentina.

MOSQUITOES R&D

A framework of activities and processes for the develop- ment of automated or semi-automated mosquito produc- tion systems is under preparation. These activities en- compass all components of an SIT programme beginning with colonisation, and continuing through mass-rearing, female elimination, sterilization, quality control and eventual release. The framework will help provide expert advice most immediately for the development of a future mosquito mass-rearing facility for Anopheles arabiensis in Sudan. However, the design components are generally conceived for any location and mosquito species.

An Excel spreadsheet was recently developed to estimate the number of adults needed to produce 100,000 sterile males per day, a number representing a modular subunit to target the release of one million sterile males per day.

Based on these parameters, the construction of a modular cage for both colonization and production cage was initi- ated. Several characteristics such as biological suitability, portability, and cost of construction were considered in the design of this first prototype. The cage design in- cludes several innovations such as the use of pipes for sugar and blood feeding and collection of eggs, thereby limiting the necessity for intervention inside the cage. All components of the mosquito project are being jointly de- veloped with instrumentation and mechanical workshop units in Seibersdorf.

Mark Benedict is designing and testing experimental sys- tems for development of larval diets. The design goal is to create a novel system in which the effects of tactile interaction, waste accumulation, and diet abundance and quality can be clearly controlled. As a test diet, he is us- ing the protist Tetrahymena.

Radiation biology

Ms Helinski has conducted a wide range of experiments, gathering valuable data relating to the appropriate dose and impact of irradiation applied to mosquitoes at the pupal stage. Overall, her results show that pupal irradia- tion at a dose of 100 Gy results in 99% male sterility without impacting adult emergence and longevity. Male mating ability is still under investigation. Preliminary results show the negative correlation between dose and % of insemination. Further activities for this year include the establishment of irradiation curves for adult mosqui-

toes. The construction of a large greenhouse is also fore- seen to allow the testing of irradiated male competitive- ness in field cages.

Genetic sexing

Mark Benedict followed a conventional scheme for the generation of a genetic sexing strain and these activities were resumed upon his return in May. White and scarlet irradiation-induced mutations on the X chromosome will also be screened for using the color change method.

These mutants might result in a useful marker for the X chromosome and germline transformation. In addition, the linkage relationship of the candidate marker dieldrin resistance was determined to be similar to that in the sib- ling species An. gambiae – very loose linkage on chro- mosome 2.

Microinjections of Anopheline embryos are now per- formed routinely in the laboratory using a method de- velop at the Seibersdorf laboratory by Herve Bossin and Mark Benedict. The newly developed injection method can be found on the Malaria Repository website at:

http://www2.ncid.cdc.gov/vector/Tech%20Tips/Microinj ec-

tion%20Method%20for%20Anopheles%20Embryos%20 V2.pdf

Using this protocol, consistent hatch rates (8-14%) are obtained and transient somatic expression observed in more than 20% of the larvae following injection using a piggybac construct carrying a 3xP3-EGFP expression cassette. Current efforts are focused on improving the mating efficiency of small families to increase the chances of recovering G1 transgenic individuals. In par- allel, Ms Labbé is developing the molecular tools neces- sary to conduct excision and transposition assays and confirm the functionality of piggybac-based germline transformation in A. arabiensis. Once the first germline transformation of A. arabiensis is achieved, the testing of conditional sexing systems will take place immediately.

SIT support for Sudan

The commitment of the Sudanese authorities to the feasi- bility study has further increased at the beginning of this year with the provision of additional funding, vehicles, equipment, and recruitment of staff. Field larval surveil- lance is ongoing, performed at monthly intervals in the Dongola and Merowe test sites. Safia Siddig and Osama Seidhamed, two Sudanese fellows joined the mosquito group in Seibersdorf earlier this year for training on mos- quito mass-rearing. Both are actively contributing to the R&D effort, Ms Siddig focusing more specifically on larval rearing conditions with the optimisation of larval nutrition and Mr Seidhamed investigating the potential role and importance of specific volatile organic com- pounds (VOCs) in mosquito male mating behaviour.

Feasibility study on the island La Reunion

Following the recommendations of the scientific advisory committee during its meeting in Vienna last December, a project document was produced which provides back- ground information and describes the 2005-2008 prepara- tory research programme for the eventual elimination of A. arabiensis from the island of La Réunion using an in- tegrated area-wide approach with and SIT component.

Specific objectives such as colony establishment, study of population genetics and dynamics, evaluation of trap- ping methods, and ecological and socio-economics im- pact studies are included in the programme. The docu- ment presented to the French permanent mission (Mr Al- bert and Mr Perrin) and the CEA (Mr Mousseigne, French Atomic Energy Commission) was received very favourably and is being disseminated to the relevant na- tional and local French authorities as well as scientific institutions likely to provide their support to the project.

ANNUAL REPORT 2004

For more detailed information on the 2004 R&D activi- ties conducted by the Entomology Unit, Seibersdorf, see Annual Report 2004:

www.iaea.org/programmes/nafa/d4/index.html

17

Special News and Reports

The Second FAO/IAEA International Conference on Area-Wide Control of In- sect Pests

The Second FAO/IAEA International Conference on Area-Wide Control of Insect Pests was convened at the IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria from 9–13 May 2005. A total of 305 participants attended the conference, representing 86 countries (of which 63 were developing) and nine international organizations (AOAD, CIP, CIRDES, CIRAD, FAO, IAEA, ICIPE, IICA and IITA,).

The participants presented a total of 49 oral presentations in eight sessions and 143 posters in two sessions. During the last day of the conference, panel discussions were held on themes including potential barriers to the com- mercialization of SIT, the reasons for the absence of area-wide principles in university curricula, the spread of invasive species with globalization and the role area- wide pest management can play, the importance of effi- cient management in the implementation of area-wide pest programmes and the role biotechnology is likely to play in future area-wide IPM programmes.

The main theme of the conference was the “Lessons Learned from the “Implementation of Operational Pro- grammes”, and three oral sessions were devoted to the various lessons that can be learned from area-wide pro- grammes. The topics of the oral presentations were not restricted to the use of SIT and included high quality lec- tures on non-SIT area-wide management programmes against ticks, boll weevils, desert locusts, mountain pine beetles, pests of wheat storage, tarnished plant bug and termites.

One session was devoted to the ever-increasing threat of a multitude of invasive pests. The role of the SIT as part of the area-wide integrated pest management was high- lighted for invasive species such as the painted apple moth in New Zealand, the cactus moth in the USA and the false codling moth in South Africa. Other area-wide approaches were discussed in papers on invasive weeds, invasive fire ants and the golden apple snail as an inva- sive exotic pests of rice.

Other sessions dealt with commercialization and regula- tory issues, animal and human health and modern bio- technology and genetics. The last session of the confer- ence contained some interesting papers on new develop- ments for the area-wide management of insect pests and exciting topics such as Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmatic incompatibility, cold storage techniques to extend the

shelf life of insects strains, new advances in dispersal and navigation techniques for sterile insects, hormone therapy to improve the efficiency of fruit fly SIT, and the use of insects as dispensers for mating disruption.

The successful completion of the conference can mainly be attributed to the excellent quality of the many papers and posters that were presented, the variety and diversity of the topics that were offered, the professional guidance of the moderators of the various sessions, the keen inter- est displayed by the participants as evidenced by the many interactions during the discussion sessions and the skilled assistance provided by Conference Services of the IAEA, which resulted in a flawless completion of the Conference.

The proceedings of the conference will be published by an outside publisher and will be available as of mid-2006

.

Tephritid Workers Database (TWD) News! (Source A. Bakri, University Cadi Ayyad, Morocco)

Launched one year ago on May 7th, 2004, TWD has al- ready reached 321 members from 65 countries. During this first year, more than 800 tephritid workers were con- tacted by e-mail. A reminder to update input or to join TWD was sent six months later. Members are also en- couraged to update their list of publications.

To promote TWD, a poster was presented in the 5th Meeting of the Working Group on Fruit Flies of the Western Hemisphere on May 16-21, 2004 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Another poster was presented in the Second FAO/IAEA International Conference on Area- Wide Control of Insect Pests: Integrating the Sterile In- sect and Related Nuclear and other Techniques. 9-13 May 2005, Vienna, Austria.

During the first assembly meeting of Tephritidae of Europe Africa and the Middle East (TEAM) in Vienna on 11th May 2005, there was a good response and appre- ciation of TWD (see “First Meeting” in Announcements).

Participants suggested to piggy back the website of TEAM to TWD and use it as a platform for communica- tion between their members. At the end of the meeting the participants elected a Steering Committee and the Governing Board. For more information, please contact:

Dr. Nikos Papadopoulos (University Thessaly, Greece) – Chairperson (npapadop@agro.auth.gr)

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Prof. Abdeljelil Bakri (University Cadi Ayyad, Marra- kech, Morocco) – 1^st Vice Chairperson (bakri@ucam.ac.ma)

Dr. Yoav Gazit (Institute of Biological Control, Israel) – 2nd Vice Chairperson (yoav@jaffa.co.il)

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Alert notice USDA-APHIS:

Elevated Risk of Peach Fruit Fly (Bactrocera zonata) from Egypt

Pests: Bactrocera spp.

Pathways: Fruits and Vegetables Grower / Producer / Importer:

Countries: Egypt

Regions: Northern Africa Date: May-09-2005

Current Pest Population Level: Outbreak Report Reliability: Written, Unofficial Report Report Type : NEWS

Background

The geographical range of Bactrocera zonata (peach fruit fly, guava fruit fly) extends from Southeast Asia west to India, Iran, Arabia, Israel and Egypt. Its primary hosts include mango, peach and guava. Citrus is a secondary host. (CABI 2004). Only B. cucurbitae and B. tryonii are OPIS Target Pests (A). Other species in the genus are OPIS Non-priority Target Pests (B).

Current Status

The increase in detections at the port facilities in Valen- cia, Spain of B. zonata from Egypt has prompted the Valencian Association of Growers (AVA) to request more rigorous inspection of all citrus from that country.

According to the AVA, the economic damage to citrus crops in North Africa caused peach fruit fly amounts to approximately $188 million annually. Crop losses in northern Africa are reportedly between 30% to 100%.

Unless peach fruit fly has spread to other countries in northern Africa, all references to crop damage in North Africa probably refers to Egypt. Annual economic losses of $188 milllion and 30%-100% crop loss reflect a very serious infestations within the country. The OPIS non- priority Target Pest list (B) for Egypt should be amended to include Bactrocera spp. to indicate the occurrence of B. zonata in the country.

The New Invasive Bactrocera species

New invasive Bactrocera invadens officially named as it extends its distribution and host range across Africa.

Background:

The new invasive Bactrocera species is now rapidly ex- tending its distribution and host ranges across Africa as predicted in previous OPIS reports (9734, 9948, 9952, 10040, 10170) dating back to June 2004, because it is highly invasive and polyphagous habits. These predic- tions are now being substantiated as more and more countries and commercial fruit hosts are invaded.

Current status:

The fly, first reported in Kenya in 2003 (Lux et al. 2003) and then Tanzania (Mwatawala et al. 2004) has now been